Even if Trump Doesn’t Become President, His Words Have Already Damaged The Nation’s Future

Contrary to what I’m about to write, I’m actually exhausted from hearing about the upcoming presidential election. From seeing the media put Donald Trump on full blast often based on hearsay to listening to protesters on campus talk about how Hillary Clinton is the second coming of Jesus– here to solve all of the world’s problems– this election has been thrown in my face thousands of times this year.

In less than a week, voters are going to choose if they want the Republican asshat or the Democrat asshat to run our country for the next four years. While voting for a third party candidate is certainly a viable option, the likelihood of them winning the electoral votes from even one state is very slim. So, as a country we need to decide which dishonest criminal we want to elect into office. However, no matter who we elect, the words of Mr. Trump throughout his campaign will be ringing in our ears for longer than the next four years.

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last year, chances are you’ve probably heard or even been offended by some of the things that come out of Donald Trump’s mouth. I’m all for challenging political correctness, but his words have damaged this country more than we can even comprehend right now.

As a child, I would often watch the news with my parents. I was 11 years old when President Obama was elected into office, and I remember sitting in the kitchen with my parents watching President Obama and Senator McCain discuss important issues facing our country and potential solutions. Right now, there are 11-year-olds watching the presidential debates. They are watching Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton go back and forth with eye rolls and attempts to cover up lies. But most importantly, they are listening to Mr. Trump’s incredibly offensive and frankly mean words on immigrants, women, and minorities.

This summer, I worked as a nanny for three wonderful, intelligent young boys. At one point, the 9-year-old asked me if I was voting for Donald Trump. I told him that I wasn’t sure, but I didn’t think that the things he has to say are very nice. He then proceeded to tell me not to vote for Donald Trump, because if Trump became president, he couldn’t be friends with his friend ______ from school, whose parents are immigrants. I was taken aback for a moment and changed the subject, making sure to reassure him that Mr. Trump would not win the presidency.

But now that we are closer to the election I realize that Trump has an actual chance at becoming president. As terrifying as that is, the even more terrifying thing is that the impact of his words have reached more than just his obvious victims. He has sent 9-year-olds into panic because they fear that they will no longer be able to remain friends with their classmates. He has taught my younger brothers that it’s okay to glorify sexual assault because it’s just “locker room banter”. He has displayed time and time again that an individual can consistently belittle women and minorities but the world will turn a blind eye and not even attempt to do anything to get him out of the spotlight.

The blame for allowing this to happen lies within many different groups, but it’s too late to do anything. In less than a week, this man has the power to rule one of the most powerful countries in the world. But even if Mr. Trump doesn’t win the presidency, his words will have a lasting impact on the future of this country. We’ve spent an entire year hearing women be called pigs, sexual assault be glorified, minorities be belittled, religions be disrespected, and the list could goes on. Young children– the future of this country– have heard these words and soaked them in, just as they do with everything that permeates their developing brains.

I urge you all to vote as your moral compass guides you. Maybe there are children in your own life who have been affected by the words of Donald Trump. Maybe you have friends who you know are not threats or criminals, contrary to what Mr. Trump has to say about their identities. Please keep in mind that his influence, while it could get much worse in the near future, reaches farther than just you. It reaches the future of our country, one of the most important factors in our advancement as a nation in the future.